the ice that cannot be melted
by frostxbitten
Summary: What if Sun didn't manage to follow Blake all the way to Menagerie? What if he crash-landed in Atlas? What if, for the first (and last?) time, he needed Weiss' help? What if Weiss helped him? What if she insisted on accompanying him to Menagerie? What if she learned more about the Faunus, and Sun in the process? [Sun/Weiss]


i do my best with english but ugh. it's not my first language. please feel free to correct any grammar mistakes or whatever hsadewkjdj

* * *

Beacon was a disaster.

"Please evacuate in a calm and organized manner", repeated Oobleck for the umpteenth time in the night. Only on this occasion, the students actually followed the instructions. They were too tired to even lift a finger, and they just wanted to find a place to sleep. Sun felt the same, but there were still things left to do.

"Yang", he called the blonde that was opening her eyes, between groans. Sun placed a hand in her shoulder to prevent her from getting up, and she didn't put up resistance.

"What…? Where…?" It seemed she couldn't focus her vision properly.

"You're safe", Sun quickly replied. She needed to make the least effort she could. But Yang resorted to her last energies to finish her question.

"Where's… Blake…?"

Sun didn't know how to say it. But he needed to be honest with her. After all, she was the same as him: Blake was the first person in their thoughts.

"I'm sorry, Yang", he murmured. "Blake's gone."

Yang had an expression that made Sun feel her pain as if it was his. He loved Blake, but he couldn't understand why she would run in this situation. Blake was all Yang needed. Blake was all Sun needed. He feared the blonde would cry, but at that moment Qrow arrived with a man he didn't know. Sun wrapped his hands around Yang's.

"I'll find her", he said. "I promise."

Yang half-opened her mouth to say something, but the unknown man patted his shoulder.

"Thanks, champ. Now we'll take care of it." And he softly pushed him off his way, as Qrow carried Ruby as a sack of potatoes. Yang closed her eyes.

Sun had nothing left to do there.

.

Finding Blake. Easier said than done.

He thought he was sure where to find her, but as much as he searched, he lost his hope. Blake seemed to have evaporated and mixed with the wind, as if she never existed. And it was night. Sun could see pretty well in the dark, but Blake plus night equals forget it. Even so, he didn't give up; he would find her. With the power of love, at least.

He didn't find her, but something found him.

The fatigue had numbed his senses, and the despair and fear he felt, running in the night, jumping over rubbles and avoiding bodies that didn't move, had attracted a Beowolf. A quiet, cautious one, that waited in the shadows until—

Sun tripped. A banner welcoming him to Vale, dirty and torn up, had tangled up between his feet. With a frustrated puff, he bent down to untangle it, and the Beowolf got its chance.

The last thing Sun saw was the ground rapidly getting closer to him.

.

.

.

The buzzing woke him up.

He opened his eyes slowly, blinking to focus his vision. A soft blue light in the ceiling greeted him, and Sun was grateful it wasn't blinding enough to hurt his eyes. However, the buzzing persisted—it was too annoying for his exhausted brain. His instinct told him to find the source of that buzzing and destroy it, so Sun sat up to do it.

Oh—he had sat up.

He stared at the thin white sheet resting on his lap, barely processing it, and looked around.

Two lines of improvised litters lied on the floor, all occupied. None lacked the white sheet, although some of them weren't as pristine as his. Sun stretched his arm to the closest litter, and trembling, he lifted the stained red sheet.

He quickly put it down.

His legs barely responded when he tried to get up, but with a lot of effort, he managed to get on his feet. Like a newborn fawn, he stumbled his way over the patients and to what seemed to be a door, heavy and armored, as if he was inside a safe. Or at least that's what it looked like, because in reality it was thin enough to hear faint voices from the other side. The buzzing continued. An engine. Sun covered his left ear and leaned against the door, trying to make sense of what he was hearing.

"I'm still shaking." A woman's voice. Sun couldn't recognize her. A rustle, and then a man spoke.

"We're safe now", he reassured her, with a faint tone that Sun managed to process as affection. "And we'll arrive in Atlas sooner than you think."

Atlas? Sun's legs gave up, making him drop to his knees.

"Yeah", she sighed, clear exhaustion in her voice.

_Atlas?_

"Everything's fine, love", the man whispered before both fell silent.

Atlas.

This time, he had really messed it up.


End file.
